I Must Have Been Really Bad...
IN A PREVIOUS LIFE: Patient Heal Thyself
PATIENT HEAL THYSELF
The cardiologist came in with his cute young nurse. And lo and behold they were having a lovers’ spat. But it got worse - much worse.
I was taking one of those treadmill exams. No, not an ordinary one, but one where I was warned I could throw up (a container was at the ready). Or, an assistant told me I could faint, and he was at the ready. Good news.
The nurse inserted a rather big needle into my hand which pumped what felt like poison into me. All the time, the doc and nurse kept arguing. Clearly I was a number to them, not a person
So I walked and walked and walked. The promised five minutes came. And went. It wasn't fun yet. Finally when they took a breath I asked:
“I think the needle came out “
They turned and glared at me. By this time I was feeling rather queasy. She reinserted the needle, which didn't make me feel any better. And my total cardiac walk time was an uncomfortable 10 minutes, to say the least
Afterward the doctor breezed in alone and told me I was fine but there was my weight. I felt like saying:
“Really? You're kidding. If I had only known, all those diets would have worked!”
I didn't. And he started to rush off. Then I really did say:
Wait! You made me do double time on the treadmill. So I'm going to pay you half as much.”
He looked stunned then furious and left with a big huff.It was an idle threat, because insurance coveted it. But that was kind of fun.
My parents believed that doctors were gods. But I had a cousin who was a rather rare specialist at NIH (National Institutes of Health). I grew up with him and knew he wasn't any smarter than me. Just arrogant.
The moral of this story is that we need doctors who actually listen to us. We know our bodies better than they do. And we rely on their training and experience to take our information to heal us.
Yes my heart was hurting back at that treadmill. But if the doc had listened to me five minutes, he would have learned my “baby” sister had just died unexpectedly. Barbara Christie Mansfield was my sister, my best friend, and wisest advisor. And my heart pained for her. Then his treadmill would have ruled out the physical.